Can anyone give me any up to date info on ELT in Cuba?
The last thread on this was a while ago, and I've read on the net that some areas like Havana are short of teachers...
I know that being a UK or US national can make getting a job in Cuba difficult (British embassy wont sponsor any Brit in Cuba who isn't an ambassador). But I'm Swiss! First language English (a long story)!

I haven't found any info about any ELT jobs in Cuba except through the international school, which has no vacancies and a long waiting list. There must be some private language schools there I'd have thought...
Any info would be appreciated!

All I can tell you is that it would be very difficult for foreigners to work in Cuba, especially now with Cubans holding their breath over Fidel's health and the political future of Cuba..

I would also be weary of the Cuban government if you want to work there.. You may want to travel to Cuba as a tourist first and go around Havana and look around, talk to people.. That's what I did here in Argentina.

I think that's proabably the best way to go around it.. I've been there 3 times myself and would live there I could.. Let me know what you find out,

Cuba is a communist country and private enterprise is severely restricted. I've never heard of any private language schools there.
There's no reason to be especially wary of the Cuban government, unless you're planning to subvert the system. Frankly, I trust Fidel & friends more than those SOBs in Washington or London.
Wages in Cuba average from $10 - $15 a month. Cubans get by, more or less, but the vast majority of people don't have hard currency to pay foreigners for language classes. Besides, Cubans can pay for language tuition in pesos cubanos (24 to the dollar). My (Cuban) wife paid something like 20 pesos a month for French classes. Not much scope there for foreigners hoping to earn a living as language teachers.
Look on the web for your nearest Cuba solidarity group, or contact ICAP (Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos); their offices are in Vedado. They should be able to advise you about the availability of teaching work.

Sabine, I haven't applied for a visa, although it should be relatively easy to get one; that's "easy" within the context of Cuban bureaucracy!
A way of working there legally is with Granma Internacional, which occasionally has vacancies for translators. The last I heard they were paying around USD $100 a month, plus a peso salary of about $200.

I want to spend some time in Cuba studying Spanish so I have a few questions... (I know not strictly teaching related but that info's been pretty much covered in other topics.) Any ideas where I can study (reputable school) where I don't have to pay $500 a week (haha - are they ^&% crazy!), so far I've only found schools that charge prices that should be illegal! I'm looking for a school that includes a homestay where the family get the majority of the money, not some foreign cc! Also I've heard a rumour that South African's don't need visas for Cuba? Grahamb you seem to be in the know? Any info about that would be greatly appreciated (I also have a British passport so if the SA thing isn't true advice about either would be great).

Also info about traveling to and from the island is scarce and I was wondering what the cheapest way to get there from Mexico would be? I'm in the UK at the moment but I'll be visiting some friends in Mexico before.

I think you can study Spanish at the University of La Havana, but I'm not 100% sure. There's an International House school in Santiago de Cuba, but I have no idea how much they charge. Try the IH website, ihworld.com
I couldn't comment on the visa situation for South Africans. I think if you enroll on a university course you can get a student visa and stay there for as long as it takes.
Re. flights, try a Google search. I'm sure Cubana operate flights to Mexico; try their website: http://www.cubana.cu/html/ingles/index.asp
There are a number of UK travel agents such as Journey Latin America (www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) who specialise in Cuba. It might work out cheaper to book all your flights before setting off.